We are doing the 4 day/ 3 night disney/cruise. Our reservations were to stay at the Caribbean. Our travel agent emailed today, and said that Disney offered to upgrade us to the Swan and Dolphin. I need input before I decide. I have read reviews on all resorts and I am totally confused now. Please help!!
Should we upgrade?
on the reviews i wouldn%26#39;t stay at either one of these places that%26#39;s why they upgraded you cause they probably need rebtals they have more bad reviews than anything that%26#39;s a sign right there don%26#39;t do it
Should we upgrade?
What are you looking for in a resort property. Swan and Dolphin are near Epcot, boat transportation, and other resorts. (walking distance). Caribbean Beach is not really walking distance to anything. I did not like Caribbean Beach and checked out after one night. I have never stayed at the Swan or Dolphin.
The TA reviews are funny sometimes. I have stayed at great resorts, and after posting my glowing report, others write the exact opposite of what I thought.
Vacations are what you make of it. Your not going to be in your room very much. It is always better to do the hotel first then the cruise after. We used to do the hotel/cruise and always found we needed a vacation after the vacation when we went to Disney.
To me, the main difference between the Caribbean and the Swan/Dolphin property is that the Caribbean is run by Disney and the Swan/Dolphin is run by Sheraton. We didn%26#39;t know this until we were on our honeymoon in 1997 and tried to have Magic Kingdom souveniers delivered to our room. We were informed that our hotel (Dolphin) didn%26#39;t qualify for that service. We never investigated about what else wasn%26#39;t included.
I just checked to make sure things hadn%26#39;t changed and they are still listed on the Sheraton website.
Anyway, we had good service on our honeymoon (although the bellboy tried to tell us that the gigantic cockroach that ran across my foot in our room wasn%26#39;t really a cockroach) and actually went back one Christmas because they offered $99.00 a night rooms for teachers (another sign that they are not run by Disney!).
To me, the main difference between the Caribbean and the Swan/Dolphin property is that the Caribbean is run by Disney and the Swan/Dolphin is run by Sheraton. We didn%26#39;t know this until we were on our honeymoon in 1997 and tried to have Magic Kingdom souveniers delivered to our room. We were informed that our hotel (Dolphin) didn%26#39;t qualify for that service. We never investigated about what else wasn%26#39;t included.
I just checked to make sure things hadn%26#39;t changed and they are still listed on the Sheraton website.
Anyway, we had good service on our honeymoon (although the bellboy tried to tell us that the gigantic cockroach that ran across my foot in our room wasn%26#39;t really a cockroach) and actually went back one Christmas because they offered $99.00 a night rooms for teachers (another sign that they are not run by Disney!).
Sorry for the repeat...
Stampingirl,
C%26#39;mon now, your from Florida. There not big ugly cockroaches that invade everything. They are nice cute Palmetto Bugs. LOL...
The same thing happened to us at the Contemporary. They tried to tell us it wasn%26#39;t a cockroach. When I pointed out that I live in Florida, and knew darn well what it was, they moved us to another room.
The worst part is when those palmetto bugs decide to fly! Eeeewww!
I can%26#39;t understand why Disney would want to upgrade you out of their property and into a competitor%26#39;s. Not that there is anything wrong with the Swan or Dolphin. I%26#39;ve had friends stay there, and I visited their rooms, and they were very nice. You would be getting more of a deluxe level resort, as opposed to a moderate resort, and there are more dining options available. The location, as a previous poster mentioned, is an improvement, because you can walk to Epcot, and MGM, if you want to. If you are renting a car, I do believe you have to pay for parking at the Swan and Dolphin now, but parking is still free to resort guests at Disney hotels.
I would just give some thought to how you plan to spend your time at Disney. If you planned to spend a lot in the Magic Kingdom, it may not make as much difference to you as it would if you planned to spend more time at Epcot. Consider that having the five hotels clustered together gives you more dining and shopping options, than staying in one resort that is more isolated. Consider the perks you get as a Disney resort guest that you may have to forfeit if you stay in a non-Disney hotel.
If it were me, I would probably choose the Swan and Dolphin, because of the location and the proximity of the other hotels and activities in the area. But you are the only one who knows what you want out of your vacation.
Sometimes hotels have a contract with a business customer that requires more rooms than they previously booked. That could be a reason why they offered to upgrade you. I would take the upgrade, although admittedly I stayed at the Car. iyears ago and found it just fine, and have never stayed at the Dolphin (although I have res. later this year).
PS Just read about the motion-detector a/c in the rooms - that seems odd for an upscale resort like the Dolphin, particularly in Florida, where humidity/mold can be a problem.
A lot of the hotels, even the Disney deluxe properties, are going to the motion detection thermostats, because people don%26#39;t seem to think about how much it costs to keep the room cold all day when they aren%26#39;t in it. Do I like them? No, I don%26#39;t think they work as well as they should. But in principle, it makes sense and it saves the hotels money on their energy bill, so I don%26#39;t think they%26#39;ll go away.
I have never stayed at but visited all three. I%26#39;m really not sure if this is an upgrade. Whatever you gain in location you certainly lose in ambiance. The Swan Dolphin complex is really out of place. It belongs in Manhatten, not WDW. Stay put (your travel agent may benefit from the switch, but I don';t think you will.)
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